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Observations on Fantasy in the Formation of Multiple Personality Disorder

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Observations on Fantasy in the Formation of Multiple Personality Disorder OBSERVATIONS ON FANTASY IN THE FORMATION OF MULTIPLE PERSONALITY DISORDER Walter C. Young, M.D. Dr. Young is the Medical Director of Columbia Psychiatric the unconscious; or - as is more often the case - they were Center, Littleton, Colorado. once conscious fantasies, or daydreams, and have since been purposely forgotten and have become unconscious through For reprints write Walter C. Young, M.D., Columbine Psychi- ` repression '" (1908/1959, p. 161). He wrot e that "psychoneu- atric Center, 8565 South Poplar Way, Littleton, Colorado, rotic symptoms are to he regarded as fulfillments of uncon- 80126. scious wishes . or more correctly, one portion of the symp- tom corresponds to the unconscious wish-fulfillment and ABSTRACT another portion to the mental structure reacting against the wish" (1900/1953, p. 569). This paper presents observations on fantasy as it participates in the The wishes were, however, often seen as derivatives of real " formation ofmultiple personality disorder. It,focuses on the function experiences: Hysterical symptoms are not attached to ac- of restitution in the fantasy life of children during the development tual memories, but to phantasies erected on the basis of of the disorder. It is proposed that one pathway to the development of memories" (1900/1953, p. 491). And he writes, "I had ob- multiple personality disorder utilizes repressed early childhood fan- served that this is precisely what hysterical subjects do: along tasies of mastery over trauma and that these early fantasies form a side what has really happened to them, they unconsciously psychological structure which is amalgamated with dissociative build up frightful or perverse imaginary events which they defenses to evolve the clinical piclure ofmultiple personality disorder. construct out of the most innocent and everyday material of their existence. It is to these phantasies that their symptoms INTRODUCTION are in the first instance attached and not to their recollec- tions of real events whether serious or equally innocent" The dissociation of severe trauma has an established role (1900/1953, p. 217). in the development of multiple personality disorder (Bliss, Much later Freud returned again to tackle the problem 1980, 1984b; Bowman, Blix, & Coons, 1985; Coons & Mil- that many dreams and dissociative symptoms did not easily stein, 1984; Putnam, Guroff, Silberman, Barban, & Post, fit into a simple pattern of wish-fulfillment, but reflected at- 1986; Saltman & Solomon, 1982; Spiegel, 1984; Wilbur, tempts at mastering psychic trauma. In Beyond the Pleasure 1984). Freud struggled over the nature of the factors influ- Principle (1920/1955) , Freud described the now often recog- encing neurotic symptoms. His first views were that trau- nized " compulsion to repeat " unresolved trauma and saw matic events overwhelmed the psyche when patients incom- traumatic residue as a " physical fixation " that was much pletely abreacted psychical trauma (1893/1966) . Symptoms more debilitating. Noting the repression of the trauma, arise when memories of the traumatic experiences are forced Freud stated, " the patient cannot remember the whole of upon the patient (Breuer & Freud, 1985/1955). Freud's what is repressed in him, and what he cannot remember may (Breuer & Freud, 1895/1955) major statement came in be precisely the essential part of it ... he is obliged to repeat Studies on Hysteria. where he introduced a theory of traumati- the repressed material as a contemporary experience in- cally induced symptoms which arose from the repression of stead of, as the physician would prefer to see, remembering real traumas and reflected a symbolic representation of it as something belonging to past. " (1920/1955, p. 18). those traumas. At this point multiple personality disorder He noted that the symptomatic picture seen in traumatic was viewed as a traumatic neurosis that was, like other neuroses approaches that of hysteria, but surpasses it in its hysterical symptoms, resolv ed when the traumatic events marked signs of subjective ailment. Freud again allowed the and their accompanying affects were recalled and made notion that dissociative symptom formation could be trau- available to consciousness. matically based. Freud then abandoned this traumatic theory in favor of Despite Freud's shifting viewpoints regarding the role of the idea that unconscious fantasy and wish-fulfillment were trauma and wish fulfillment in hysterical symptoms, it is at the root of symptom formation. They were hysterical likely that both trauma and fantasy are necessary for the de- symptoms based on fantasy. He commented on the "van- velopment of the dissociative symptoms seen in multiple ished mental life of children" (Freud, 1900/1953, p. 250) personality disorder and that an either/or approach of and stated that "unconscious fantasies are the immediate trauma versus fantasy cannot adequately account for the psychical precursors of a whole number of hysterical symp- clinical phenomena seen in patients who dissociate. toms. .Unconscious fantasies have either been formed in This paper focuses on the role of fantasy in the construe- 13 DISSOCIATION, Vol. 1, No. 3: Se ember 1988 tion of multiple personality disorder. It explores the fate (A tion (Young, 1988) and trance capacity (Kluft, 1984a; Bliss childhood fantasies of mastery in the evolution of multiple 1984a), the sequelae of post dramatic stress disorder (Spiegel, personality disorder. It is suggested that much of the clinical 1984; Young 1988; Putnam, 1985) , state dependent learning phenomena in multiple personality disorder arises when (Ludwig, Brandsma, Wilbur, Bendfeldt, & Jameson, 1972; fantasies of restitution are repressed and defensively incor- Braun, 1984a), transgenerational factors (Braun, 1985), the porated into dissociative states. The memory of the fantasy is myriad of perpetuating circumstances which have already forgotten as the fantasy becomes dissociated. While fantasies received wide attention (Braun &. Sachs, 1985), and the play a part in the disorder, they are efforts at restitution on interaction of many' factors (Kluft, 1984a). This discussion the part of the patient to master real trauma. has intentionally singled out the role of fantasy as one factor These fantasies subsequently resurface with states of dis- among nranv to examine. sociation to help manage the child's overwhelming experi- ence. Fantasy becomes part of the psychological substrate ELABORATION OF FANTASY IN MULTIPLE upon which alter personalities form. Derivatives of these PERSONALITY DISORDER repressed fantasies reappear as the clinical picture of mul- tiple personality emerges and as the structures shaped by the Clinically, we can regularly discover evidence of residual dissociated fantasy. Kathy, for example, had a child alter fantasies are developed. The clinical expression of multiple ' personality disorder in some situations may represent the personality named Anne. Kathy was amnesic for Anne s incorporation of early imaginary playmates, hut may also dissociated behavior. hypnosis revealed Anne had been an represent the involvement of a variety of other fantasies imaginary playmate created when Kathy hid in a closet to intended to solve impossible dilemmas in the child's life. In avoid her abusing father. Following integration, Kathy was these instances, what begins as a conscious fantasy is re- suddenly flooded with memories of the makebelieve world pressed, and becomes represented in an increasingly com- and fantasized relationship which had disappeared when plex dissociated structure. These dissociated structures re- the dissociation began. main unavailable for assimilation or modification within the Kathy's father hated women and clearly favored her ' overall personality in the same way that erroneous sugges- brothers. One of Kathy s fantasies was that she could be a boy tions in hypnotic states can be accepted without critical and not be subjected to abuse. Kathy developed Tim, a boy judgment due to the dissociated character of the hypnotic alter personality, who denied abuse and was therefore not ' state. In multiple personality disorder, however, the compel- only immune to father s sadism, but who felt he was one of ling nature of the dissociated material is even less susceptible father's favorites. Kathy recalled this forgotten fantasy only to the corrective influence of reality testing due to the late in the course of treatment, during an abreaca.ion. Fur- patient's defensive pressure to remain insulated from the ther, Tim ' s integration was achieved when Kathy delivered trauma of overwhelming affective recollection. Further, the her only baby boy. Tin was perceived as having "entered " " eventual transforming of fantasy into a persistent dissociated into the baby; it had "all the right parts. This perception mental structure makes it unavailable for the patient's real- clearly reflects the defensive wish fulfillment of a forgotten istic appraisal and therefore relatively resistant to change. fantasy. Only when dissociated material becomes available to the full A similar example of a repressed fantasy that returns to capacities of the patient ' s conscious observing ego can it he defensive functioning is described by Lichtenberg and Pao relinquished. (1974). Their female patient developed a delusion of being Fantasy is defined here as the child's imaginary unfolding Cleopatrawhen she was psychotically depressed. Later, during imagery and ideas used in the service of wish fulfillment or treatment, they discovered that as
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